Locals Take The Stage

Ballet Austin wants you to choose the next Mother Ginger for the 50thanniversary of The Nutcracker

This December, delight in imagination and tradition as Ballet Austin celebrates the 50th Anniversary production of Austin’s paramount holiday performance, The Nutcracker. In a city that makes a habit out of keeping things weird, it's no surprise that the Ballet Austin enjoys putting its own twist on even the most classical of productions.

Mother Ginger honors a distinguished citizen with an inspirational record of community service, who will join the cast of more than 200 professional dancers.

This year’s annual production maintains Ballet Austin’s tradition of having the role of Mother Ginger played by a local Austin celebrity. Ballet Austin asks the Austin community to cast the esteemed role of Mother Ginger for the season’s December 23 performance, by voting for the final nominees.

Austin’s choice Mother Ginger honors a distinguished citizen with an inspirational record of community service, who will join the cast of more than 200 professional dancers. The winner of the contest will accompany the ranks of notable former guests, such as Governor Anne Richards, Lance Armstrong, Michael Dell, Robert Rodriguez and Mayor Leffingwell.

Though the role is a non-speaking, non-gender specific and non-dancing part, Mother Ginger’s character is not for the faint of heart.

True, the winning theatrical rookie only has to appear on stage for a whopping total of three minutes. But for those few minutes the chosen performer must stand on a four-foot platform, in a massive eight foot dress, sporting a colorful headdress, strapped with gargantuan costume breasts, while a troupe of “Bon-Bon” children emerge from beneath the matronly character’s costume. Keep in mind, all the while 1,000 people will be watching.

The nominations are in and it’s up to the Austin community (That's you!) to select the winner. Scan the nominee’s names and brief biographies on Ballet Austin’s online ballot and then cast a vote for who you think would best fit Mother Ginger’s larger-than-life persona.

For those of you with a nominee already in mind, vote away! You can vote once every 24 hours. The winner will be announced on Friday, December 7 and will subsequently enter the majestic world of Stephen Mills’ choreography and Peter IIyich Tchaikovsky’s musical score.

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Ballet Austin's The Nutcracker will be performed at the Long Center from Dec. 8 through Dec. 23.

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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